Anything For You
by SVUlover14
Summary: Olivia will do anything for Alex, even this. Post-"Ghost." CHAPTER 6 IS UP! AO Please review!
1. Chapter 1

**This takes place after _Ghost_. AO. I own nothing.**

The call came a year and a half after I'd resigned myself to fate. It was too late and I hadn't been able to help her, protect her as I'd always promised. I'd accepted that I was never going to see her again – and then came the phone call.

"Olivia," said a weak voice I never thought I'd hear again. That was all. Just _Olivia. _I'd never thought hearing my own name could be so sweet.

There was so much I wanted to ask her, so much I needed to say, and I tried to say it all at once. "Baby, what is it? Where are you? Are you hurt? Did something happen? Is Velez dead? Are you coming home?"

Her next words were hoarse, choked out in a fit of coughing. "I – I need you."

"Is he dead? Can I come get you? Will you come home?"

Silence, and then, "No."

"Baby, I don't understand."

Silence again, and finally, "I think – I think I'm dying."

My heart skipped a beat, my mind racing with all the possibilities. Cancer. A car accident. Velez. "What happened?"

"I just – I just need you here with me. Please come." And that was all, the dial tone echoing in my ear. I held the phone so long that all I could hear was intermittent ringing, and then, "Please hang up and try your call again."

I dropped the phone and stared at it, tears welling up in my eyes. I had just spoken to Alex for the first time in over a year, and now I could trace her call and go wherever she was. I always said I'd follow her wherever she went, and now – now I really could.

The phone she'd called from was registered to a hospital in Appleton, Wisconsin. I called the captain, told him about the call, and asked for a week off. He was happy to oblige, and I hopped on the first plane to Wisconsin, closer to Alex with every mile. I thought of her to occupy myself, recreating those bottomless blue eyes, that beautiful smile, in my head.

Then I turned my attention to what she'd said, replaying her words in my mind. _I think I'm dying. _What had happened to my Alex? Had she been shot again? Had Velez returned? Was she ill?

Anxiety and adrenaline mixing as they coursed through my veins, I hailed a cab to the hospital, my heart pounding in my chest. When we got there, I shoved a twenty at the taxi driver and all but ran inside. I flashed my badge at the receptionist and said, "I need to know which room Alexandra Cabot is in."

The receptionist checked the computer. "Sorry, there's no one here by that name."

Right. Of course she wouldn't be registered as Alex Cabot; she'd be registered by her new name in WPP. "Um, she's blonde, long hair, blue eyes, 5'9", might have come in with a gunshot wound?" Of course, I wasn't sure how much of that was true anymore; she could have gone brunette, could be wearing contact lenses, but that was all I knew to do.

"Sorry, Officer, I can't help you."

I wanted to yank my hair out in frustration. "Um, I need your patient list." It was a small hospital, and I was confident that I'd be able to figure out which room Alex was in.

"I'm sorry, but our patient list is confidential."

"Fine. Could you check the list for anyone matching that description?"

She sighed as if she had so many things she'd rather be doing right now, but obediently checked the list. "Emily Rogers," she finally said. "Room 102."

"Great. Thanks." And I ran as if my life depended on it.

My heart broke when I flung open the door and found Alex, lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to too many machines to count. She looked so small and vulnerable, lying on her side in that huge bed as she slept. And she was all alone.

Cuts and bruises covered her face and she had a fading black eye. That perfect alabaster skin was marred with welts and contusions, and I had to wonder who on Earth had hurt my Alex like this. I would kill them. They would never get away with this.

And in fact, she did indeed look like she was dying.

I perched on the bed beside her, trying not to cry at the bittersweet sight of my beautiful Alex. She looked so broken, so afraid, and yet, she was _here_. I was with her for the first time in months. And that almost made this – whatever _this _was – worth it.

I wrapped her up in a tight embrace, holding her close. She'd lost weight, a lot of weight – I could feel her ribs through her thin hospital johnny. Bruises adorned the rest of her body, but I ignored them, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple and tenderly stroking her hair.

Her eyes fluttered open and she flinched, then her face relaxed into that beautiful smile I'd missed so much, her eyes lighting up at the sight of me. "Liv," was all she could say, and I could see how hard it was for her to choke out the words.

"Shh, baby," I said quickly, kissing her forehead. "Don't try to talk. It's okay. I'm here. I've got you."

She nodded, the tension mostly leaving her frail body as she rested her head on my shoulder.

I continued to stroke her hair. "I love you, baby. I missed you so, so much."

"Me – me too," she whispered, trying so hard, so hard to speak, but her words were barely audible.

And I didn't ask. What had brought her here wasn't as important as how to help her now. That was what mattered most.

**Review for chapter two!**


	2. Chapter 2

She drifted between sleep and consciousness, content to sleep in my arms, resting her head on my shoulder as her even breathing tickled my neck. God, I'd missed this. God, I'd missed _her_.

I sat up straight when the door opened and a nurse walked in, instinctively tightening my grasp on Alex. "Who are you?" demanded the nurse.

With the hand that wasn't still stroking Alex's hair, I flashed my badge. "NYPD." Then I hesitated and added, "Her girlfriend."

"You can't be here, ma'am. I'm sorry."

"I can be and I will be." Then I softened my tone. "How is she?"

The nurse shrugged. "As well as can be expected after being sexually assaulted, thrown down two flights of stairs, and being used a punching bag for the past year."

_My poor baby. _My heart constricted and I hardly dared to voice my next question. "Will she be okay?"

"Hard to say. She's a fighter, though."

"Is she dying?"

She hesitated. "I don't think so, but she lost a lot of blood. She was admitted three days ago – didn't say a word to us and didn't regain consciousness until this morning – but she's stable now."

"What happened to her?"

"The works. Raped, beaten over a period of time by her boyfriend. There was extensive vaginal trauma. But I guess I shouldn't really be telling you this."

"Her – her boyfriend?"

"You can ask her about it. Can you wake her up for me? I need to change her IV."

Poor Alex. She hated needles. I pressed my lips to her forehead and gently rubbed her back. She opened her eyes, fear-filled baby blues flickering up to meet mine, and I was quick to reassure her. "It's okay, baby. It's okay. The nurse just needs to change your IV."

Alex shook her head. "Don't want it."

"I know, baby. I know you hate needles, but I'm here. I've got you. Just squeeze my hand really tight if it hurts, okay?"

She considered for a moment, then finally nodded.

The nurse took the needle out of Alex's arm and wheeled the IV out of the room. She returned a moment later and sat down beside Alex on the bed. "It's going to pinch a little, Alex. Can you give me your arm?"

Alex scrunched her eyes shut and squeezed my hand tightly as the needle went into her arm. A few tears welled up in her eyes from the pain and I quickly kissed them away. "See, baby, that wasn't so bad. You did so well, Alex. I'm proud of you."

I held her close as the nurse left the room, stroking her hair reassuringly and murmuring sweet nothings in her ear. It felt so good to have her in my arms once again. God, I loved her.

"I – I'm dying," she whimpered, curling into me. "I'm sorry. I didn't –"

"You're not dying. The nurse says you're going to be okay."

"But – but it hurts!" She let out a strangled sob. "It hurts so much."

"I know it does, baby, but you've got to hold on." I hesitated for just a moment. "Can you tell me what happened, sweetie?"

She lowered her eyes. "He hurt me."

"Who did, baby?"

"My – my boyfriend."

"Oh."

"I didn't – I didn't want – I love you, Liv. I'll always love you. But here – here I'm not Alex. Here I'm Emily, and Emily needs – needed – a boyfriend. He kept trying to pick me up and finally I just said okay and he seemed like a good enough guy but then – then we moved in together and he started to hurt me. I'm sorry, Liv. I didn't want any of it!"

"I understand, sweetie. I know you didn't want it. I love you, baby, and I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. You don't ever deserve anyone to ever hurt you. You're my princess and you deserve to be treated like one."

Alex began to cry again. "I shouldn't – I shouldn't have called you. Now – now they – they're going to have to relocate me!"

I hugged her tightly. "Shh, baby. Don't think about that. I'm here now, and I love you, and I'm not going anywhere. I know you've been hurt a lot, and I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, but I promise that from now on, I will protect you. No matter what it takes."

She rested her head in the crook of my neck. "Liv, I – I'm scared," she admitted. "What if – what if he finds me?"

"Velez?"

"No, my – my boyfriend. He said if I ever left, he'd find me and he'd kill me! What if he does?"

"I won't let him, baby, I promise."

She buried her head in my chest. "Now I have two people trying to kill me!"

It would have been funny if it hadn't been so serious.

**Review for chapter three!**


	3. Chapter 3

I held Alex for hours, rubbing her back and regaling her with tales of Munch's antics and Casey's (perceived) incompetence. She relaxed a bit when she realized I wasn't going anywhere, that she was safe when she was by my side. I talked for hours, because I knew she couldn't, nor did she want to. Soon I had her smiling along with me, laughing as she rested her head on my shoulder, gazing into my eyes with an expression that could only be described as infinite adoration.

She fell asleep again, but I stayed awake, watching over my Alex, as if my presence could keep her safe. From Velez. From that monster who'd hurt her so badly. From anything or anyone that she may perceive as a threat.

I was startled back to reality when she began to thrash in my arms, mumbling incoherently and pushing at demons I couldn't see. Tears welled up in her eyes as she kicked, trying to break free from imaginary bonds.

"Shh, baby," I said quickly, kissing her forehead and taking her wrists so she wouldn't injure either of us or dislodge the IV. "It's okay. It's just a dream. You're safe. I'm here. I've got you."

Her eyes flew open and she cringed, then relaxed when she realized it was just me, swiping at her tears. "Sorry," she murmured, rolling onto her side, then winced. "Ouch."

"Does your arm hurt, baby?"

She shook her head, then sighed. "A bit."

"Can I see?"

She wrapped her arms around herself. "_No_."

"Okay, honey. You don't have to show me if you're not comfortable." I mindlessly began to rub comforting circles into her back, then pulled my hand back as if I'd been burned when it occurred to me. "Baby, does that hurt?"

Alex shrugged, burrowing deeper into herself. "It's okay."

I gently stroked her hair. "I'm sorry."

She looked up at me with absolute worship in her bottomless blue eyes. "No – you came. You're _here_. Even though you probably shouldn't be." She smiled wanly. "You love me."

"That's right, baby. I do."

She dropped her gaze. "Even when I'm like this?"

"You're in a lot of pain right now, Alex. I understand. I'm just glad I can be here with you."

"I haven't had anyone here for me in a year and a half – well, not really. I missed you. I missed _this_. I missed being in your arms. I missed the way you always know what's wrong and how to fix it, even before I do."

I smiled. "I missed you too, baby. And I'm just so glad you're letting me be close to you. I'm so glad you called me."

"I shouldn't have."

"Yeah, sweetie, you should have. I don't know what I would have done if you'd been hurt and I hadn't been there for you."

"I know I can count on you to be here when I need you."

"Whether you want me or not."

"I always want you, even if sometimes it's hard for me to say it."

I kissed her forehead. "I know. And you're safe with me, baby. Always. I will never hurt you."

"I know." She sighed. "It's not – I mean – it's not you. It's me."

I smiled again, unable to resist a bit of teasing. "Now where have I heard that one before?"

"Every guy you ever broke up with in high school," she said with a smirk.

I shrugged. "It was true. They were all perfectly adequate guys – but I'm gay."

Alex laughed. "That could present a slight problem."

I pulled her closer to me, kissing the base of her neck. "Mm, you're right. It could."

"Liv?"

"Yeah, baby?"

She hesitated. "Thanks for coming."

"Oh, baby. You never need to thank me for . . . this."

She nodded. "I know, I just –" She rolled over so she could lean against me, wincing as she did so. "Ouch."

I brought her bandaged arm to my lips and gave it a tender kiss. "There you go, baby. Is that better?"

She smiled. "Thanks."

I gently stroked her hair. "Does Hammond know you're here, princess?"

Alex shook her head. "I couldn't tell him."

"I should call him."

"No!" she exclaimed, holding tighter to me. "Don't leave me."

"Okay, baby, I won't. I won't. Don't worry. I won't leave you ever again unless you want me to, and even then, I might not."

Alex curled into me, wetting my shirt with her tears. "I'm s-s-sorry," she whimpered, burying her head in my chest.

I kissed her forehead. "It's okay, baby. It's okay. I'm here. I will always be here."

And then I just held her as she cried, kissing away the remnants of her tears and offering what little comfort I could.

**Review for chapter four!**


	4. Chapter 4

She slept some more – the nurse told me to make sure she rested and not to say or do anything that might upset her, because she needed to keep her strength up. I did what I could, holding her close, stroking her hair, promising forever, but I couldn't help the nagging feeling that it wasn't enough. I hadn't been there when she needed me most. I could never prevent her from falling, but if I tried, I could be there to soften the blow.

I kissed the base of her neck, a pang of sadness coursing through my veins when I saw the fading red handprints, obscured by her long hair. I tenderly kissed each mark, and when she flinched and started to stir, I was quick to soothe her. "It's okay, princess. It's okay. It's just me. I'm here. It's okay."

"L-Liv?"

"Yeah, baby, it's me. You're okay. I've got you."

"I – I – Liv –"

She began to cry again, the force of her sobs shaking her slight body. I caressed her cheek, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead and holding her close. "It's okay, sweetie. Don't try to speak. It's okay."

"S-sorry, I – h-his hands – it – it –" Finally Alex gave up the fight and leaned back against me, her eyes fluttering closed once again.

I gently stroked her hair. "It's okay, princess. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. I love you, baby."

She rested her head on my shoulder as she trembled in my embrace. "I – I l-love you t-too," she whimpered.

I kissed her forehead again. "I know you do." She opened her mouth to speak again, but I silenced her with another kiss. "Shh, baby, shh. Don't try to talk. It's okay, sweetie. You're okay."

She nodded, trying to calm her body, but not succeeding.

I held her more tightly and brushed her sweat-dampened hair back from her forehead, then gently wiped away her tears. "It's okay," I repeated, kissing her neck. "Everything's going to be okay."

"M-my – my –" It was clearly important to her to get these words out, but I didn't want her to exert herself.

"Sweetie, you can tell me later. I need you to go back to sleep now, okay?"

"Don't – don't you w-want –"

"Yeah, baby, I do, but I need you to calm down. I don't want you to pass out on me. Your body isn't strong right now, sweetie. It's fighting the drugs they gave you and it's fighting your pain. You need to let your body do its work, and you need to relax for me."

Alex let out a strangled sob. "It – it h-hurts!"

"Where, baby? Where does it hurt?"

"E-every – everywhere!"

My heart ached for her, but I didn't know what else there was for me to do. "Can you show me, baby?"

She burst into a fresh round of sobbing, then started to choke. I patted her back soothingly.

"Baby, I need you to calm down for me. I know it hurts, but your body is fighting really hard and you need to let it get better. I'm going to count to ten for you, honey. Would that help?" When she nodded, I counted in as level a voice as I could, "One . . . two . . . three . . . four . . . five . . . six . . . seven . . . eight . . . nine . . . ten. There you go, baby. You're okay. You're okay. I've got you."

Alex's body slowly calmed in my embrace, the aftershocks from her sobs coming intermittently. She didn't try to say anything more, just leaned into me as silent tears streaked down her cheeks.

I kissed away her tears, pulling her closer to me. "It's okay, sweetie. I'm here. You're safe."

"B-but wh-what if – if he – if he f-finds me?"

"I'm here, baby. I promise, I will keep you safe. No one will ever hurt you again, sweetie. Never."

Alex buried her head in my chest and let me soothe both her body and her mind with gentle caresses and sweet nothings whispered in her ear.

A nurse came in while she was sleeping, to check Alex's vitals and change her IV. "Do you know who did this to her?" I asked immediately.

"Her boyfriend. She didn't give us a name."

"But she told you what happened?"

"Parts of it. She had a rape kit done, which cleared up the rest."

"Were the police notified?"

"She didn't want to press charges."

I pursed my lips. "When a patient comes in with injuries like Alex – like _Emily's_, it's protocol to notify the Special Victims Unit."

The nurse snorted. "This isn't New York, Officer. We don't have those kinds of resources here."

"It's _Detective_, and she will be pressing charges."

"Has she told you who hurt her?"

"No, but she will. At which time I will inform the local police and tell them of your failure to report domestic violence and sexual assault."

The nurse rolled her eyes. "You do that, _Detective_, but I'm under no obligation to do so."

I tried to swallow my anger and tightened my grasp on Alex. Even though I wanted to rip this nurse a new one, my Alex was more important. She always would be. "When is she being released?"

"Not anytime soon. She's been hurt pretty badly, _Detective_."

"I can see that, but she's stable. Mostly."

The nurse sighed. "I'll be back to check on her in a few hours."

"Mm hm."

She left, and I decided now would be a pretty good time to call Hammond and inform him of what had happened. I knew he would be furious to find that I was here with Alex, but there wasn't anything he could have done to keep me away. When Alex was hurt, I would move heaven and earth to be by her side. I would never let her lie in a hospital bed, full of pain and fear, and alone. Hammond was just going to have to deal with that.

I gently extricated Alex from my embrace and stepped outside to use a payphone in the hallway. I dialed Hammond's number – I'd had it memorized for the past year and a half. I'd spent almost every one of those five hundred days thinking about calling him, wanting to ask him how Alex was, what the word was on Velez, if she was all right, if she had moved on. But I always resisted the temptation. Maybe I shouldn't have. Maybe Alex wouldn't be in this mess if I hadn't.

He answered the phone on the second ring. "Hammond."

"Hammond, it's Olivia Benson."

"Yes, Detective?"

I sighed. "Hammond, I'm not calling you as a professional. It's Alex. She's in the hospital. I thought you should know."

"What the hell happened? Detective, don't you realize the danger you've put her in, that she's put herself in? Her identity has been compromised. We're going to have to move her."

"Hammond, she's been hurt pretty badly. She called me because she thought she was dying. She isn't, but it's still pretty bad. She's in a lot of pain. I couldn't make her go through this alone. I'm with her now."

"What happened to her?"

"She was beaten and sexually assaulted by her boyfriend. She's been out for the past few days. She woke up this morning and called me, told me where she was. I came, obviously."

Hammond sighed heavily. "Which hospital are you at?" I told him, and he said, "I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Hammond, no. She's not going to want to see you."

"Detective –"

"You promised you'd protect her. You failed. Stay away until she tells you otherwise."

"She's in danger, Detective. It's my job to make sure Velez doesn't find her, and it seems increasingly likely at this point that he will! They could be watching you, Detective."

"It doesn't matter. Alex is hurt and I'm staying with her and you're not coming near her. She's in really bad shape, and you're going to upset her. You can come see her tomorrow or the next day. She needs to heal. She needs me, not you."

There was a long silence, and he finally said, "Twenty-four hours. You have twenty-four hours with her."

"I wasn't asking for your permission. Goodbye, Agent Hammond." I hung up on him, seething, and started back to Alex's hospital room.

She was lying on the bed, and I was struck once again by how small and vulnerable she looked. She was on her side, and I saw silent tears running down her cheeks.

I climbed onto the bed beside her and carefully took her into my arms. "What's wrong, princess?"

She leaned into me and buried her face in my chest. "I thought you were gone. I thought you might never have been here at all."

"Oh, baby, I'm not going anywhere. I just called Hammond to tell him you were in the hospital. That's all."

She started to tremble and moved closer to me. "He's going to make me move again."

"Don't worry about that right now, Alex. Worry about getting better. You're not in good shape right now and you need to heal before you worry about anything."

She nodded and murmured, "I love you."

My heart melted at those three sweet words I'd waited so long to hear and I kissed the crown of her head. "I love you, too, princess. I love you, too."

**Review for chapter five!**


	5. Chapter 5

We lay in the hospital bed in silence for awhile, until out of nowhere Alex turned to me and said quietly, "You want to know what happened, don't you?"

I swallowed hard, not sure if I was ready to hear this. "I don't need to know anything until you're ready to tell me."

Alex nodded and burrowed closer to me. I stroked her hair, relishing the feel of her silky blonde tresses under my fingertips.

"I love you," I whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple.

She wrapped her arms around me with surprising strength, holding on to me with all she had. "You're not upset?"

"That you called me? Of course not. I'm glad you did."

"No, about . . . who hurt me."

I gave her another kiss. "Your boyfriend?"

She nodded.

I held her close. "It doesn't matter, Alex. You're here with me now, and that's the important thing."

"I still love you, Olivia. I always have. I always will."

"I know, baby. I know."

She looked up at me for a moment, her deep blue eyes glassy. "He hurt me, Olivia. I don't know why I stayed."

I sighed, wanting nothing more than to ask for his name. I would find him and kill him. He would never hurt my Alex, or anyone else, again. "What happened this time, sweetheart?" I finally asked.

She bit her lip and met my eyes again, looking so small and vulnerable that I couldn't help but tighten my arms around her. "He thought I was cheating on him," she murmured, averting her gaze from mine. "He was always possessive, he always worried that when I was out, I was with another man, that I was sleeping with someone else. I told him I wasn't, but he didn't believe me. He called me a whore. He said he had to check. I tried to run, but he grabbed my wrist and pushed me against the wall. I hit my head. He pulled me upstairs and forced me down on the bed. He pulled my clothes off. I tried to fight him, but he was too strong. He grabbed my neck and choked me until I stopped struggling.

"He hit me. He put his hands all over me. To make sure I hadn't been with another man. He touched me everywhere. I told him to stop, but he hit me again. He put his fingers inside me. His whole hand. I screamed. It hurt so much. He smacked me. He said I'd been with someone else, that he could feel it. That I had to be punished. I told him I hadn't, but he said I was a slut and I needed to learn my lesson, that I belonged to him, just him. He took his clothes off. He raped me. Then he left. He said he wasn't finished, that he'd be back later. I tried to get up, to call the police, but I couldn't move. It hurt too much."

She took a deep breath. "He came back, maybe an hour later. He raped me again. He called me a whore and made me turn over, so he could – so he could rape me again, anally. I started crying. I was begging for him to stop, I was so ashamed, it just hurt so, so much, I thought I was going to pass out. He told me to shut up, but I couldn't. He took out his lighter, the one he uses for his cigarettes. He burned me with it. Three times. Between my legs. I was screaming. He put one of his socks in my mouth. I was choking. He hit me again and told me if I couldn't stay still, he was going to kill me. I forced myself not to fight him. He beat me. I must have passed out, because when I woke up, he was gone." She looked up at me once more, her eyes wide and shining with unshed tears. "All this because he thought I was cheating."

I felt tears in my own eyes at what had happened to her. My heart was breaking, and I didn't know what comfort I could offer. There were no words for this. I just held her to me and kissed her forehead, her cheek, her neck. Gently, lightly, wanting to reassure rather than to frighten. I loved her so much. She was my Alex and I couldn't believe all this had happened to her, and I hadn't been there. Not then, and even now, I didn't know what I could do for her. My poor baby was in so much pain.

I smoothed her hair back from her forehead and whispered, "I love you, princess."

She nodded and curled into my side. "I know you do."

My heart clenched. "Is there anything I can do for you, baby?"

"No. You're here. That's all I need." She looked up at me. "Just don't let go. Don't let me go."

"Never," I promised.

**Review for chapter six!**


	6. Chapter 6

A few hours later, a nurse I hadn't seen before came into Alex's hospital room, bearing a bouquet of daffodils. "Ms. Rogers, these were just delivered."

"Who are they from?" I asked before Alex could say anything, feeling a lump in my throat hearing her referred to by a name that wasn't hers.

She glanced at the note attached to the flowers. "From a Jonathan Bachman."

Alex began to tremble in my arms and her face turned white. "Throw – throw them out," she whispered.

"Ms. Rogers –"

"_Now_," I said, and the nurse nodded.

"Of course."

She left the room, and Alex turned to me, still shaking. "He found me. Oh, God, he knows I'm here. He's going to hurt me again. He's –"

"Alex," I said quietly, rubbing her arm in an attempt to calm her, "I need you to calm down. I promise you, he's not going to hurt you ever again. I'm here. I'll protect you, baby. I won't let anyone hurt you, not Jonathan Bachman and not Cesar Velez. No one will ever hurt you again."

She shook her head. "He's going to be here. He was here. He knows where I am. Oh, God, he's going to hurt you, Liv –"

"Baby, no one's going to hurt me, I promise. We're safe here."

"Oh, Liv. No, we're not. I have two people out there who want to kill me."

I held her closer. "I promise you, baby, it's going to be okay. I'll make it okay for you. For us."

Alex just sighed.

* * *

That night, Alex tossed and turned restlessly in my arms, unable to sleep. My poor baby was still terrified that Jonathan Bachman was going to find her, but I had other things on my mind. Such as Hammond. I knew that he'd probably traced my call and knew where we were, and he'd probably be showing up in the morning, wanting to move Alex. I couldn't let him take her, not without me, but what was there for me to do? It was true that she was in danger, and that I had further jeopardized her safety by coming, but she needed me now, and there was nowhere else I'd rather be than by her side.

She woke up around three in the morning after sleeping for half an hour, whimpering like a beaten dog. I tried to soothe her, pressing kisses to the crown of her head and smoothing her hair back from her forehead, but her trembling didn't abate. I took her hands in mine, finding them icy and damp, and brought them to my lips. "I'm here, Alex," I said, kissing each of her fingers. "I promise, I won't let anybody hurt you."

She shivered and looked away. "His hands, Liv . . . they were all over me, I tried to fight him, but I couldn't, he was too strong –"

"I know, baby. I know. It wasn't your fault."

"You wouldn't have let him hurt you. You would have left him. But at first, I was just so lonely, I missed you so much, and there he was, and I thought he could give me . . . company. But then things got bad, and I was just too scared – I'm sorry, Liv, I'm so sorry."

"Alex, I know you didn't want this. It's okay. I love you." I gently rubbed her back, careful not to aggravate the welts I could feel through her thin hospital johnny.

"I love you, too," she whispered, squeezing my hand tightly.

I could feel the tension in her muscles as I continued to caress the soft skin of her back. It broke my heart to see her hurting so much. "Baby, do you want me to buzz one of the nurses and have her bring you some more medication, to help you sleep?"

She shook her head. "Just stay with me. Please."

"I'm not going anywhere, princess. Don't worry. Do you think you'll be able to sleep, though?"

She shook her head. "I don't want to. If he comes –"

"Alex, he won't. And I'm right here. I won't let him near you. I promise, I'll keep you safe."

"You can't, Olivia. You couldn't before."

"I know, baby, and I'm sorry. I wish I could have protected you then. But now, I promise I won't let anyone hurt you ever again. I love you."

She turned her head away and mumbled something that sounded like, "That's not enough." And my heart shattered.

* * *

I awoke to the sound of the doorknob turning and instinctively tightened my grasp on Alex. _Hammond_, I thought immediately, and sighed. This wasn't something I wanted to deal with right now.

But when the door opened and a man rushed in, I didn't recognize him. He has taller than Hammond, his shoulders were broader, his hair was a shade lighter. _Jonathan Bachman. _Shit.

It all happened so quickly. I could feel Alex shaking in my arms as Jonathan stepped beside the bed. His eyes widened when he saw me. "Emily, who's this?"

I was on my feet in an instant, stepping between him and my Alex. "Get out."

"I heard my girlfriend was in the hospital and I thought I'd come see how she's doing. Who are you?"

"She doesn't want you here. Leave."

He looked past me to Alex, whose face had gone white. "Is this your sister, Emily?"

"Mr. Bachman, if you don't leave right now, I'm going to call security and have you removed. And if you lay a hand on her, I'll arrest you myself."

"What happened to my girl?"

"She's not _your _anything, and you know damn well what happened to her. You _raped_ her, you bastard."

He looked genuinely surprised for a moment and reached out to touch Alex's arm. "I did no such thing."

Alex cringed and whimpered, and I grabbed Jonathan's arm and pulled him away from her. "Get out of here," I said through clenched teeth.

"What the hell are you doing? She's my girlfriend."

"Not anymore."

I could hear Alex's muffled sobs from the bed and glanced at her. She had both hands pressed over her mouth and her eyes were wet and wide with fear. I brushed her hair back from her forehead, hoping to soothe her tears. She flinched away and pulled herself into a sitting position, wincing at the pain it caused her. "Jonathan, I want you to leave," she said, and closed her eyes for a moment, as if to ward off dizziness.

I reached out instinctively to touch her shoulder to steady her. "Lie back down, sweetie. It's okay."

Jonathan's eyes narrowed in confusion. "_Sweetie? _What the hell is going on here?" Then I could see in his eyes that he made the connection. "Oh, my God, you – bitch! You fucking bitch. You were cheating on me, weren't you, with a _woman_? Fuck –"

Alex slid over to the other side of the bed, burying her face in her hands. I grabbed Jonathan's wrist and started to lead him out of there. "If you _ever _lay a finger on her again, you will be sorry. Do you understand?"

He tried to pull out of my grasp, but I had him in an iron grip. I wasn't going to let him anywhere near my Alex.

I ignored the obscenities he muttered as I escorted him out of the hospital. This was for Alex. I had to keep her safe.

**Review for chapter seven!**


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